Smooth muscle sensitization and neuromuscular depression induced by chronic administration of antimalarial drugs

Effects of dopamine on the gastrointestinal tract of chicks

The effects of dopamine on the gastrointestinal tract of chicks have been investigated. Dopamine caused concentration-related contractions of the upper oesophagus, crop or lower oesophagus but relaxed the duodenum, ileum, large intestine or caecum in a concentration-related fashion. By means of specific antagonists, the presence of muscarinic, histamine (H1), alpha-adrenergic, 5-HT-ergic and dopaminergic receptors were established in the lower oesophagus and their stimulation caused contraction while beta-adrenergic-receptor stimulation caused relaxation. Contraction of the lower oesophagus induced by dopamine was abolished by lysergic acid diethylamide and was antagonized by moderate concentrations of haloperidol or pimozide. Tachyphylaxis developed to repeated administration of a large concentration of dopamine. These findings suggest that contraction of the lower oesophagus of chicks by dopamine is largely mediated by 5-hydroxytryptamine release and that stimulation of dopaminergic receptors contributes to a lesser extent.

The effects of chronic administration of chloroquine and quinacrine on the response of normal and denervated smooth muscle to agonist drugs

The functional effects of chronic administration of 60 mg kg-1 chloroquine or quinacrine given as daily intraperitoneal injections for 84 days on normal and denervated expansor secundariorum muscles, a smooth muscle from the wing of chicks wholly innervated by noradrenergic nerves, have been investigated. Administration of quinacrine, but not chloroquine, blocked responses to noradrenergic nerve stimulation. Surgical denervation abolished responses to nerve stimulation. Contraction of the expansor muscle induced by noradrenaline was not changed by chronic administration of chloroquine or quinacrine, and both drugs did not influence denervation supersensitivity of expansor muscles to noradrenaline. Expansor muscles were unresponsive to acetylcholine (ACh) and histamine, but muscles from chicks chronically treated with chloroquine and quinacrine were responsive to ACh and histamine. Denervation also restored the response of expansor muscles to ACh and histamine and the responses were greater for denervated muscles from chronically treated chicks; these changes were more marked with quinacrine. Expansor muscles were contracted by potassium chloride (KCl) and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), and chronic treatment increased the responsiveness of expansor muscles to KCl. Denervation increased the responsiveness of expansor muscles to KCl and 5-HT; this effect was more pronounced in denervated muscles from quinacrine-treated chicks. The findings indicate that chronic administration of quinacrine sensitizes smooth muscles to agonist drugs by blocking noradrenergic transmission to induce postjunctional changes and exerting a direct action on the smooth muscle; these actions are less pronounced with chloroquine administration.